After a wonderful winter in Key West, it was time to leave, and we move up to Tampa waiting for the weather to warm some more before continuing north. Tanya unfortunately has to return to work in the office and will only join me on occasion when she is able. I decided to stay in the mid-Atlantic region while we wait and see how her job works out.
Staying in MacDill AFB we reconnect with Theresa a friend from last winter. Tanya did get a few days visiting her before she had to return to office. We toured the Tampa Aquarium which had great videos of octopus.
I was also able to get to the Veterans Hospital and get my medical program going. So impressed how once I had a PCM I was quickly able to get all my needs taken care of!
Tanya picked up some pretty airplants, I mounted them to a fabric hotpad. Cool!
As I depart Tampa area I stop in Silver Springs where Tanya and I loved a Chinese Buffet with extreemly good food. They had built a new building and were not open when we were going through on the way to Key West. I happily report to Tanya that the great flavors have remained!
My mothers 90 birthday coming up this month and my son Doug and I will be traveling to Oregon for the family get together. I really am not excited to leave the warmth of the Southeast for the cold and damp in Oregon, but one must do this sometimes.
A great mini family reunion! We are scattered all over the country so getting together is not easy. Some had not met up with others for many years and really had a great time catching up. Brother Bob's home has the space to host all of us so we always go there. He also has Lama's and everyone enjoys seeing these animals.
On Sunday Mom had asked that her original 6 children and any others that wanted to go return to her town (1 1/2 hours from brother Bob's home) to meet her friends. This turned out to be a great experience. Since she asked us to meet her friends I made sure I sat with each table of people and after introducing myself as Mom's oldest son asked them what they could tell me about my Mom? Every single table answered that they wished that they had the energy and zest for life experiences that my mother has!
Returning to Florida I finish the last of my doctors appointments and then get a call for a short job stint in eastern North Carolina. Thankfully it is warm there so I agreed to take the job on for a month. Once again I learn that I have slowed down so much in my retired life that as a significant event happened I can not speed up like I used to and did not do as good a job as I expected. I definitely feel that it is time to fully retire! I had a Rialta Rally scheduled the first 2 weeks in May and leave work intending not to return to work afterwards.
